Missouri tailback Russell Hansbrough runs the ball as Indiana players Steven Funderburk and Christopher Cormier attempt to make a tackle during the second half Saturday in Bloomington, Ind.¦Joshua Boucher

COLUMBIA — It's one month into the 2013 college football season, and buzz has already started to pick up on how Missouri will fare against the rest of its Southeastern Conference opponents.

The Tigers, at 3-0, are one of four remaining unbeaten SEC teams. The team has also averaged 567 total yards of offense per game along with 47 points per game — a respectable stat, albeit against mostly weaker competition.

Missouri probably had its most dominant performances last week against the Hoosiers, especially from the defense.

The Tigers' defense forced three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown by Kony Ealy. Ealy's interception return earned him SEC defensive lineman of the week honors — the second time a Tiger defensive lineman has won the award this season (Markus Golden won after his interception returned for a touchdown against Toledo in Week 2).

Thanks Mizzou nation for the congrats on the SEC player of the week award time to check out next opponents

Perhaps the most notable takeaway from Missouri's win against Indiana was the Tigers' new defensive scheme. Missouri replaced a defensive lineman with an extra linebacker at the beginning of the second half, resulting in what appeared to be a 3-3-5 defensive scheme. But as Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes, defensive coordinator Dave Steckel doesn't want to call it a 3-3-5.

Also in Matter's preview of this week's game, he writes that Arkansas State running back David Oku is one player to keep an eye on, along with the offense's ability to create explosive plays. The team tanks 16th in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 24 20-yard plays from scrimmage and seven plays of 40 or more.

However, Missouri's offense has also shown its explosiveness at times, including a 45-yard run from Russell Hansbrough last week against Indiana. If Auburn's highlights below against the Red Wolves are any indication of the big-play potential against Arkansas State, expect to see some long-yardage plays Saturday.